Buying An Island In Alaska

ARTICLE I. His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias agrees to cede to the United States, by this convention, immediately upon the exchange of the ratifications thereof, all the territory and dominion now possessed by his said Majesty on the continent of America and in the adjacent islands, the same being contained within the geographical limits herein set forth, to wit: The eastern limit is the line of demarcation between the Russian and the British possessions in North America, as established by the convention between Russia and Great Britain, of February 28 - 16, 1825, and described in Articles III and IV of said convention, in the following terms:

buying an island in alaska

"Commencing from the southernmost point of the island called Prince of Wales Island, which point lies in the parallel of 54 degrees 40 minutes north latitude, and between the 131st and the 133d degree of west longitude, (meridian of Greenwich,) the said line shall ascend to the north along the channel called Portland channel, as far as the point of the continent where it strikes the 56th degree of north latitude; from this last-mentioned point, the line of demarcation shall follow the summit of the mountains situated parallel to the coast as far as the point of intersection of the 141st degree of west longitude, (of the same meridian;) and finally, from the said point of intersection, the said meridian line of the 141st degree, in its prolongation as far as the Frozen ocean. "IV. With reference to the line of demarcation laid down in the preceding article, it is understood -

The western limit within which the territories and dominion conveyed, are contained, passes through a point in Behring's straits on the parallel of sixty-five degrees thirty minutes north latitude, at its intersection by the meridian which passes midway between the islands of Krusenstern, or Ignalook, and the island of Ratmanoff, or Noonarbook, and proceeds due north, without limitation, into the same Frozen ocean. The same western limit, beginning at the same initial point, proceeds thence in a course nearly southwest through Behring's straits and Behring's sea, so as to pass midway between the northwest point of the island of St. Lawrence and the southeast point of Cape Choukotski, to the meridian of one hundred and seventy-two west longitude; thence, from the intersection of that meridian, in a south-westerly direction, so as to pass midway between the island of Attou and the Copper island of the Kormandorski couplet or group in the North Pacific ocean, to the meridian of one hundred and ninety- three degrees west longitude, so as to include in the territory conveyed the whole of the Aleutian islands east of that meridian.

The island could also make for a nice bed-and-breakfast, retreat, or fishing lodge, she adds. It is very popular in Alaska to have a property to take people out on fishing day trips and then stay in the bedrooms in the evening.

Seward and many other Americans believed that Asia would become an important market for the country's products, and expected that Alaska would serve as a base for American trade with Asia and globally and for American power in the Pacific. While agreeing with Seward about the benefit to trade, Senator Charles Sumner was unusual in expecting that the territory would be valuable on its own; having studied the records of explorers, he believed that it contained valuable animals and forests. He compared the acquisition to contemporary European colonialism, such as the French conquest of Algeria.[15][16] As chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, he sponsored the bill to acquire the territory. Seward told the nation that the Russians estimated that Alaska contained about 2,500 Russians and those of mixed race (that is, a Russian father and native mother), and 8,000 indigenous people, in all about 10,000 people under the direct government of the Russian fur company, and possibly 50,000 Inuit and Alaska Natives living outside its jurisdiction. The Russians were settled at 23 trading posts, placed at accessible islands and coastal points. At smaller stations, only four or five Russians were stationed to collect furs from the natives for storage and shipment when the company's boats arrived to take it away. There were two larger towns. New Archangel, now named Sitka, had been established in 1804 to handle the valuable trade in the skins of the sea otter and in 1867 contained 116 small log cabins with 968 residents. St. Paul in the Pribilof Islands had 100 homes and 283 people and was the center of the seal fur industry.[17] The treaty passed the United States Senate with 37 votes for versus 2 opposed.[18]

Kodiak bears and Native peoples co-existed for centuries on the island before the towering Sitka spruce trees first took hold some 800 years ago. The first European laid eyes on Afognak Island in 1741 and Russian fur trappers soon followed. Beginning in the 19th century, Americans were increasingly concerned with the destruction of wildlife and saw value in conservation. Yosemite, Yellowstone and Afognak Island were seen as irreplaceable wilderness worth preserving. Thanks to President Theodore Roosevelt, in 1907, Afognak Island was offically designated as a National Forest. Protecting Native Species Afognak is home to many species endemic to Alaska: Roosevelt Elk, Pacific Salmon, Steelhead, Rainbow Trout, Arctic Char, Dolly Varden, Kodiak Brown Bear, Bald Eagle, Marbled Murrelet, River Otter, Tundra Vole, Sitka-black Tailed Deer, Mountain Goat and Snowshoe Hare. The preservation of natural forest habitat is important for the continued survival of these species. .

With our award-winning service, we offer onboard amenities for a terrific trip to the islands: Our planes have a three-class cabin including First Class and Premium Class; power outlets at every seat to keep devices charged; hundreds of free movies and TV shows that can streamed inflight to your own devices; most flights are enabled with streaming-fast satellite Wi-Fi available for purchase; and you can pre-order from a range of fresh meal options. Also, if you have to make different travel plans, there are no change fees to do that.

The Russians also get the tens of thousand of square miles of rich oil seabeds surrounding the islands. The Department of the Interior is on record of estimating billions of barrels of oil are at stake.

The largest, Wrangel Island (in Russian, Ostrov Vrangelya), is named for the Russian explorer Ferdinand P. Wrangel, who heard of the island from Siberian natives as early as 1820. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Wrangel did not land on it while mapping the Siberian coast that year. The first European to sight it may have been the British explorer Capt. Henry Kellett, who in 1849 discovered and landed on nearby Herald Island, and saw Wrangel in the distance.

The uninhabited Wrangel Island was sighted by U.S. vessels in 1867 and 1881, but not settled. A Canadian explorer named Vilhjalmur Stefansson and survivors of a disastrous expedition reached the island in 1914. But when Stefansson later tried to claim Wrangel for Canada without authorization, he caused an international incident, infuriating the Canadian government. Then in 1926 the Soviet Union staked a claim to the island and settled a few native families there.

The United States has a claim on a remote island that has been in Moscow's hands for nearly a century and where Russia reportedly wants to stage war games, a former U.S. Arctic commissioner has told Newsweek.

In October, the U.S. Air Force intercepted Russian bombers by Alaska's borders, highlighting the strategic significance of the island, especially at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Thomas Emanuel Dans, who was a commissioner of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission in 2021, said that there has never been any formal acceptance of Russia's claim to the island, which Moscow considers part of the Chukotka Autonomous territory.

After the breakup of the Soviet Union, former senators Frank Murkowski (R-AK) and Jesse Helms (R- NC) told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee debate in 1991 they did not want the Russia boundary treaty to prejudice future American claims to the islands.

Home to a Russian military base, the island, which is roughly the size of the Greek island of Crete, also hosts a huge population of polar bears, Pacific walruses and unique species of plants and migratory birds.

Also, the Northern Sea Route is becoming a thoroughfare for U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas to Asia, which would sail right past Wrangel and the De Long Islands, and Russia's control over the islands could help them dictate how that sea route is operated.

"The islands could be part of broader negotiations, to reach a settlement and restructure our relations with Russia through more of an omnibus deal," said Dans, who was also a former counselor to the under secretary for international affairs at the U.S. Treasury.

"None of [these] islands or rocks were included in the U.S. purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, and they have never been claimed by the United States, although Americans were involved in the discovery and exploration of some of them," the spokesperson added.

Passage Island was named in 1786 by Captain Portlock. The island was at the entrance of what was mistakenly thought to be a strait leading out to sea. Coal Cove, just North of Passage Island, is on the mainland on the South side of Cook Inlet, just outside of Kachemak Bay.

In the early 1900s, John Herbert established a fox farm on Passage Island for the fur trade. The foxes were fed local fish and marine mammals and ran loose around the island until they were ready to give birth. About a decade later, John retired, and the island became a mink ranch. An average pelt sold for eight dollars; when it closed, the owner sold off practically everything. Since then, the island has been virtually untouched.

Passage Island, located 22 nautical miles southwest of the Homer Spit, measures just over 44 acres with nearly 7,000 feet of water frontage. Reachable by float plane, boat, or helicopter at low tide, this private island offers a one-of-a-kind Alaska landowner experience. 041b061a72